Bloody Heirloom
by Marluxia of Avalon
Summary: Part II of the Bloodline Trilogy. With Van and Roran dead, things seem to have settled down. But Nigai is still on the loose, and Arashi's running around like a chicken with his head cut off. On top of it all, is Asch going insane? Or is someone just trying to get their message across? 'T' for cursing, violence, and general insanity. Cover by Kairi/Twilight PhoenixFyre
1. Chapter I, Picking up the Pieces

**Kairi: -sneaks into a dark room carefully at looks at readers- Okay, so... Tony wasn't planning on posting this until May... Don't tell him, but I kinda snuck on here to give you guys this, since I had it after editing. Don't ask why, either, because it's something you don't want to know. Anyway, welcome to Part II of the Bloodline Trilogy...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter I**

**Picking up the Pieces**

It could be called a perfect day in Grand Chokmah. It was neither too hot nor too cold. There was a steady breeze, but it wasn't an awful, windy day. The water was calm, save for where the waterfalls of the great city disturbed its surface. The sky was a bright, clear blue, and what clouds there were in the sky were light and fluffy.

High above most of the city, sitting on a high and dry ledge on the structures producing the waterfalls behind the Imperial Palace, was a girl. Her short, honey-blonde hair waved in the slight breeze, her eyes reflecting the light blue of the sea she gazed out over. A calm smile graced her lips.

It had been exactly one month since Van had been defeated. Six weeks since Sirris had agreed to move in with Jade. Five weeks since she was arrested and let out again. Three weeks since she had been kidnapped and Jade arrested on charges of helping her to escape, and she had been cleared of all charges pressed against her upon her return.

And at that very moment, Sirris 'Siri' Topaz Balfour had nothing better to do.

Well, that wasn't totally true. She could have been training her apprentice, Luke fon Fabre, but she had decided that he deserved a break for the hard efforts he had put in already, and was not keeping track of him, meaning she could waste away a week trying to locate the slippery replica. After all, Luke had been working harder than her, recently, something that continued to shock his original, Asch. Sirris and Luke kept in contact with Asch for multiple reasons. One of which, Sirris was loath to admit to.

Her feelings were one thing that she never liked to show. She knew all too well how easily manipulated feelings were, how easily manipulated people were through their feelings.

"You know… it's kinda wet up here."

Sirris started and looked over at the man who had spoken before heaving a sigh of relief. "What are you doing here?" she asked, scooting over to give the blonde man space to sit. He grinned.

"What, I can't say hi to a friend?" he asked. Sirris pulled one of her legs up and leaned against her knee.

"Well, considering our last proper conversation brought us back to the topic of grown men wearing pink tutus, a subject I desperately wanted to avoid, by the way… yeah… I have a reason to be cautious," she told him. He laughed.

"Well, when you put it that way, yes, I can understand that one," he replied. Sirris smiled and leaned back, putting her weight on her hands as she looked up at the clouds floating through the sky.

"Hey, Leomitch?" she started. "What would you do… if… Ah, never mind."

Leomitch crossed his arms. "If…?" he prompted. Sirris shot him a look, but when he didn't quit with the expectant look, she sighed.

"If nothing, now. It doesn't matter," she told him. He rolled his eyes.

"I will get an answer out of you eventually," he told her. She looked over at him and smirked challengingly.

"Is that so?"

"Yep."

Sirris threw her head back and laughed. "We'll see," she said, standing up. "In the meantime, I think I'm gonna go do a couple of runs."

Leomitch shrugged. "Whatever. I worked to get up here, I'm staying up here," he said. "Oh, and thanks for the advice." Sirris frowned and crossed her arms.

"Just don't fall behind on the actual workload, now," she told him almost teasingly. He smiled.

"Eh, Tony'll take care of that for me," he replied. Sirris frowned, then decided that he probably wasn't talking about the Toni she knew before walking off.

As she reached the end of the waterfalls, she smiled again, looking out over Grand Chokmah with something almost akin to pride in her eyes. "In the meantime…"

* * *

The tall brunette man scowled. "Of course the Coliseum would be closed when I need to vent my frustration," he grumbled. The girl next to him giggled.

"Well, there's always monsters in the marsh," she said. The man looked down at her and scowled.

"That's too much work. You actually have to chase after your enemies," he told her. She shrugged and started walking away.

"Lazy bum."

The man rolled his ice-blue eyes and ran after her, slowing to a walk once he'd caught up. Silver and green glittered out of the girl's black hair, contrasting nicely with the dark blue corset and sea green flowing skirt she wore. It was hard to believe that this girl was a fighter, but she managed to pull it off. The man himself looked much more the part of a warrior, but he had long since learned not to question people based on appearance.

"You know, Leon. It's very possible that Ion could be moving around like we are. That could be part of our problem," the girl said. Leon rolled his eyes and brushed a few stray locks of his wild brown hair out of his face.

"Then what do you suggest we do, Rue? Stand around here for a few weeks?" he grumbled. "I've tried that already."

Rue sighed and fiddled with the edge of her skirt, which was short in the front and nearly ankle-length in the back. "You know, Leon, we'd probably be closer to finding him if you weren't so pessimistic," she said. Leon shot a glare her direction as they stepped onto the bridge leading out of Baticul.

"I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist," he countered. Rue rolled her eyes.

"Really now? Why do I find that hard to believe?" she asked sarcastically. Leon groaned.

"Why? Why did I get stuck on this world with you for a companion?"

"Hey, hey! Keep your voice down about that, we're still near civilization," Rue warned him. Leon sighed.

"Yes, your dictatorship," he muttered. Rue smacked the back of his head and he flinched.

"I deserved that," he stated. Rue nodded.

"Indeed you did. Now come on! I'm bored!" she replied, taking off at a run the moment her feet hit the road outside of Baticul. Leon sighed and took off after her. He knew she was headed to the Inista Marsh, so it wasn't any problem for him to just keep running once he'd passed her.

What he didn't expect to find, however, was the Albiore III sitting outside the marsh. He raised an eyebrow at the flying craft and stopped to lean against a tree and wait. He knew it would take Rue at least three minutes to catch up to him, so he had time to kill.

"My, my. Now what's a handsome young man like you doing out here in a place like this?"

Leon stuck his hands into his pockets. Wallet, check. Other valuables, check. "What do you want?" he asked. Noir opened her mouth to speak, but someone shouted her name before she could.

Leon leaned forward to see Rue and a red-haired boy walking up to them. He raised an eyebrow at them.

Of course, the boy noticed him too. "Hey, weren't you the guy that fought Sirris and Jade in the Coliseum that one time?" he asked a moment later as Noir was heading into the Albiore. Leon frowned for a moment, then smiled slightly.

"The father and daughter that didn't get along well outside of battle? Yup," he answered. The boy smiled slightly.

"I'm Asch. Jade and Sirris are friends of mine," he told the brunette. Leon shook his hand.

"Leon. And since you already seem to know her, I don't think I need to introduce Rue," he replied. Asch simply chuckled.

"So, where are you two off to?" he asked. Rue smiled

"We're going into the marsh to train," she told him. "Leon started grumbling because the Coliseum's currently closed."

Asch looked between the two of them and sighed. "Any chance I could talk you two into joining me?" he wondered. Rue shrugged.

"Sure, I'll come along. Leon?" she prompted. The Berserker leaned back against a tree.

"I think I'll stay in Baticul a few weeks," he decided. Rue nodded in understanding.

"That's fine," she told him. Then she looked over at Asch and smiled. "Well, you ready to go then?"

Asch rolled his eyes. "Of course. Come on, Noir needs someone to talk to that isn't male," he said. Rue giggled and followed him up the ramp into the Albiore III.

"See you later, Leon!" she called over her shoulder. Leon smiled slightly.

"See you around, Rue."

* * *

Cloud sighed in frustration. His silver hair hung into his face as he continued drawing in the sand with a stick. Before him was a rough map of Auldrant. Names were written in some places, and it was obvious that some had been 'erased' by the uneven sand in that area.

In the Grand Chokmah area, the names 'Sirris', 'Jade', 'Valon', and 'Guy' were written. Over near Daath were 'Anise', and 'Ion', while 'Leon', 'Asch', 'the Dark Wings', 'Ginji', and 'Rue' were near Baticul. Cloud was in the process of 'erasing' one of the names that had been in that area as well before starting to write it near Belkend. After a moment of contemplation, he smoothed over the sand where he had marked it and went back to looking at the other names.

Natalia was in Chesedonia, while Arashi was in St. Binah again. Interestingly enough, Ellie was also in St. Binah at that time. Tear, meanwhile, was in Yulia City. Legretta, Dist, Largo, Mohs, and Arietta were at an odd point somewhat close to Tataroo Valley, but too far away to actually be there. That one certainly had the silver-haired man confused as he looked over his impromptu map.

"Need some help?"

Cloud looked up and shook his head. "No. Thanks though, Ion," he replied. The boy in front of him was about Guy's height, he decided. Aside from his bangs, which were relatively wild, his lighter brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of the way. Steel blue eyes glinted in the light of the cavern, provided by the numerous sixth fonons that were contained within.

Ion examined the drawn map for a while before sighing. "Leon's still looking for me, isn't he?" he asked. Cloud nodded.

"Yeah. I'm not sure, but I think he'll be in Baticul for a few days," he stated. Ion shrugged.

"I don't especially care. I just don't want him to find me right now," he replied. Cloud sighed. What was it with family not getting along these days? Well, at least Ion hadn't tried to kill his brother yet. That at least gave him a few points more than Sirris and Nigai.

"Is Amai still…?" Ion trailed off. Cloud sighed.

"Yeah," he replied. "But, she did heal not only her own ridiculous wound, but Asch's as well, not to mention forcing Nigai's soul out of Ellie's body. Her God's Aura will take a while to recover, and she won't wake again until after it does."

Ion sighed. "And your brother is looking for what, again?" he asked. Cloud started scratching a picture into the sand.

"The Seer's Thorn. One of nine artifacts that belong to our family. Three of them are here, in Hikarikage, but the other six were scattered, although one was lost long before I was born," he told the younger man. "Each one enhances one of the eight Auras, save for the ninth, which enhances any of the eight rather than just one," he explained, having drawn out a rose and what appeared to be a locket, as well as a circlet.

Ion crossed his arms. "The rose is the Seer's Thorn, right?" he asked. "So, what are the other two?"

Cloud sighed. "They're the other two artifacts that could help us out right now. Either one would go to Amai. The circlet is God's Ring. If we had it, we wouldn't have to worry about Amai going comatose every time she used her God's Aura," he told the brunette. "The other is Illusion's Lock. It's the one that's been missing for years."

Ion scratched the back of his head. "So, you're having trouble finding them?"

"Well, I'd think that would be the general idea, Ion."

The two men looked up as a girl with silvery blonde hair walked into the cavern-room. At first glance, she could easily pass as one of the Sakkaku siblings, but closer inspection revealed lavender eyes rather than sky blue, and her hair was a constant silver-blonde instead of the normal colored highlights. Ion smiled.

"Hey Nyra. Feel up to a treasure hunt?" he asked. Nyra rolled her eyes.

"No, actually, I don't, but you're welcome to go chasing after whatever it is yourself," she replied. Then, after stumbling to the side a bit, she groaned. "Damn it, Ysenri…"

Nyra pressed a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. A moment later, she relaxed and opened her eyes, which were now a light shade of pink. Ion sighed.

"Hello, Ysenri," he said. The girl looked over at him and smiled softly.

"Hello, Ion. Been a while since I've been on this side. You realize how boring Korath is, don't you?" she said. Her voice sounded different, lighter and softer than Nyra's had been. Ion rolled his eyes.

"Ysenri, I could care less about how boring Korath is. It's not like we can switch places like you and Nyra can. Actually, I think I'm glad we can't switch places like you and Nyra can. I don't think that would end well at all," he told her. Ysenri giggled.

"So, about that treasure hunt…"

Ion rolled his eyes. "Nyra's not going to be happy with you, you know," he said. The blonde girl simply giggled some more.

"I don't think she'll mind too much."

* * *

Luke sighed and ran a hand through his bangs.

"Master!"

The redhead turned and chuckled when he spotted the little blue cheagle that had been chasing after him. "Hey, Mieu," he greeted him. Mieu started jumping up and down, waving a small white envelope around.

"Master, Asch left this for you!" Mieu told him. Luke took the letter and stuck it in his bag, next to a rather large and seemingly out of place manila folder. A few more letters sat next to it.

"So, where is Asch?" Luke asked as he continued down to the port, Mieu now sitting on his shoulder.

"Asch said he had something to do and told me to get that letter to you!" the cheagle replied. Luke sighed.

"So he's gone off on his own, huh? Figures, I was going to go talk to him," he muttered. "Oh well. You coming with me, then?" he asked.

Mieu looked excited. "Of course I am, Master! I want to come with you this time!" he replied. Luke chuckled, remembering that Tear had taken care of the little guy since he had followed Sirris away from Choral Castle.

"Alright, come on. We're heading to Sheridan on a ferry," he told him. Mieu looked confused.

"Mieuu… Why?" he asked. Luke smiled.

"To get the Albiore. I'm gonna go talk to our friends. It's been a few weeks, and Sirris gave me the time off, so…" he explained, trailing off as he figured Mieu could figure it out. The little cheagle just seemed happy to see him again.

"Alright!"

Once Luke had gotten on the ferry and it had set out, the redhead sat down and pulled the letters out of his bag before sorting through them. The one from Asch that Mieu had just given him sat on top, while letters from Tear, Anise, Arashi, Noir, and Ellie were stacked neatly underneath.

The letter from Asch was short and simple.

_Luke-_

_I'm heading out with the Dark Wings and Ginji. Keep an eye on the God-Generals if you've got the time. I'm busy cleaning up your mess._

_And apologize to Sirris for me if I don't make it to Chesedonia, please?_

_-Asch_

"Mieuuuu, why would Asch tell you to apologize to Sirris for him?" Mieu asked confusedly. Luke sighed.

"Mieu, I'd rather not get into that one. Actually, I'm more concerned about the supposed 'mess' he's cleaning up. The only two messes I've left behind recently are another botched mission in Engeve and… well, you don't need to know about the other one," he said. "But, either way…"

Mieu frowned. "Why don't you read the next letter?" he suggested. Luke nodded and pulled Tear's letter out, opening it quickly and skimming over it before actually reading it.

"Amazing, it's not a status report this time," he muttered with mild sarcasm.

_Dear Luke,_

_I would ask how you found out about the miasma, but I have a feeling your answer would be either 'Asch' or something along the lines of 'I do actually notice things, you know'. At any rate, it's under control. It doesn't hurt anymore, simply because I've gotten so used to it. It will flare up on occasion, but not often._

_Yulia City is still adjusting, but Grandfather is taking it well. He is working in conjunction with Ion to run the Order, but it's not going as well as we'd like. Many people are still desperate for the Score._

_I received a letter from Ellie a few days ago, but I still haven't read it yet, as I've been working on a report for Ion. I did send Sirris a letter a couple of days after I sent the first one to you, but she hasn't responded yet. Has she been busy?_

_I'm sorry. I'm really not used to this. Van would write me letters that Major Legretta delivered, but I never had the time to write back before he had sent me another._

_Hoping you are well,_

_Tear_

Luke smiled. "Looks like I get to answer her letter in person this time," he said. Mieu smiled.

"Yep!" he said cheerfully. Luke looked through the other four letters for a moment before giving in and pulling Anise's out. After scanning it quickly, he stuck it back into the envelope.

"Mieu, what did it say?" Mieu asked rather dejectedly. Luke rolled his eyes.

"It's… definitely Anise. Apparently the words 'Malkuthian assassin' mean nothing to her," he replied. Mieu's ears drooped before Luke opened the next envelope. The curly script on front identified the sender as Arashi, but Luke was mildly skeptical about that.

Upon opening it, his eyes were affronted with something more akin to chicken scratch, which raised an eyebrow.

_Luke,_

_I'm not sticking 'dear' in front of your name, no matter how polite it may be, because it seriously sounds kinda wrong considering I'm a guy and you're a guy and… yeah, I'll just shut up._

_Well, sort of. See, Cloud's sending me out after some things, but I know it's not going to be easy to find them, so could you do me a favor? I'm looking for this crystal rose, called the Seer's Thorn, as well as a completely black locket (the chain's black too) called Illusion's Lock, and a really simple golden circlet (God's Ring). The Thorn is for me, the Lock or Ring is for Amai. She really kinda needs one of them right now._

_Anyway, sis'll be comatose for at least another week or so, according to Cloud. He says her God's Aura was pretty depleted, but since she didn't activate it until after Skye put his scythe through her gut, she actually spent less of its energy by simply healing rather than making it distort space. (Don't ask me how it works, God's Aura ain't my specialty.)_

_Well, hoping you're doing okay, and Sirris and everyone else too. I sent Valon a letter, but I'm not sure if it got there or not… As you can tell, my handwriting's not that great. I'm probably gonna ask Cloud to address this one to you, so they can actually read it…_

_See you soon (I hope),_

_Arashi_

Luke had to read the letter twice to translate Arashi's rough handwriting, and chuckled at the last sentence. "Well, that explains the neat handwriting on the envelope," he commented. Mieu laughed too as the redhead put the letter back before standing. "And look, there's Sheridan," he added, pointing to the port city as the ferry approached it. Sheridan itself was slightly past them already.

"Are you gonna read the rest on the Albiore?" Mieu asked. Luke laughed.

"Planning to."

* * *

Green eyes narrowed in concentration. It was very dark in the 'arena', but that was intentional. A black-gloved hand ran through spiky green hair before the sound of crunching sand caused the boy to settle into a defensive position.

Only a moment later, a wooden doll, about the size and shape of an average man, rushed into his short area of vision. From the other direction, a wooden woman attacked as well. The male doll held two daggers, one in each hand, while the female's 'fingers' extended into long, sharp claws.

Sync jumped to one side at the last possible moment before kicking the female as hard as he could, sending it flying, and turning to the male. A short flurry of punches and kicks later, it was thrown back as well. He paused to listen.

Not a sound was made. His eyes narrowed for a few moments. The sound of shifting sand came again, and Sync spun around.

"Reaper's Toll!"

The female doll flew away from him again, but the male had snuck up on him while he had been disposing on its partner. Sync started to wriggle out of its constricting hold, but stopped the moment its daggers were pressed against his body, one at his neck, the other in a lower area.

Slowly, the 'arena' was filled with light, illuminating the cavern and revealing one other person in the room. The woman's silver hair shone with light green highlights whenever the light hit it right. Black gloves covered her hands, one of which was extended toward Sync and the male doll, her pinky bent up at an angle, her middle and ring fingers pressed together and straight, her index finger pointed to the ground, and her thumb curled against the side of her hand.

Sync sighed as Nigai flattened that hand out, moved it to the side a bit, and held her hand up as if she had hit a wall, spreading her fingers as she did so. A moment later, that puppet fell to the ground, lifeless once more.

"Do I really have to repeat myself?" Nigai asked. Sync ran his hand through his hair again.

"No. But really, this isn't the kind of stuff I'm used to," he told her. Nigai crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall nearby.

"Tough. I'm not watching your back in a battle. And with only three of us, we're bound to end up outnumbered at least twice," she told him coldly. He shot a glare at her.

"Like I even asked to help!" he shot at her. Then he frowned, looking at the ground. "Why the hell am I helping, anyway?" he muttered to himself. There were unexplainable occurrences in his actions, if his memory was correct.

And then he stopped thinking about it altogether, instead thinking about how to avoid the scenario Nigai had put him in earlier. As he and Nigai walked out to get something to eat, though, he realized that he had completely forgotten what he was going to think about, despite it seeming important.

Why did this keep happening?

* * *

**Kairi: So, a couple of things I thought were funny that went into writing this:**

**Kairi- (while attempting to beta-read) You know you're not fully awake when your sleep-addled brain reads 'the guy that fought' as 'that fat guy thought'.**

**Tony- (to me, when I asked about the Leomitch and Legretta section during the epilogue of Bloody Nightshade) So, about Leomitch mentioning Tony up in the first section… Sirris was intelligent. She didn't ask. Legretta? Not so much… (And trust me, this comment will make a lot more sense in a couple of chapters.)**

**Kairi: Also, Leomitch, no, you will not be paired with Legretta. Now then... If you would be so kind as to review... -hint, hint-**


	2. Chapter II, One Last Breath

**Tony: -walks in dragging Kairi by the ear-**

**Kairi: I'm sorry, okay!**

**Tony: -drops onto floor before turning to readers- Apologies for that. I hadn't planned on posting this until May, purely because I know how far behind I can get on updates. Anyway, we're back to every other Monday for updates, unless I get five reviews in the week after I post a chapter, and then you get a chapter after only one week. On a totally different note... Welcome back! And now, enjoy the chapter. Guest review responses at the bottom again.**

**Kairi: And he doesn't own Tales of the Abyss either!**

* * *

**Chapter II**

**One Last Breath**

"Do I even want to know where you're off to now?"

Sirris cringed. "For once… Wait, no, that's not right," she stopped herself. "_As usual_… it's none of your business."

Jade sighed and adjust his glasses. "I was just being curious… And trying to figure out how long you'd be gone…" he admitted. Sirris stuck her thumbs through her belt loops (since neither the skirt nor the shorts she was wearing underneath had pockets) and gave him a look.

"What are you up to this time?" she asked, using the exact same tone of voice Jade had only a moment ago when asking her. Whether she did this intentionally or not, neither or them knew, nor even realized that it had happened.

Jade shrugged. "Oh, nothing," he replied innocently.

_Too_ innocently, Sirris thought, crossing her arms.

"Is that so?" she asked. "Just like I'm off to nowhere," she added, again in the same innocent tone Jade had used, though this time it was on purpose. Jade slipped his hands into his pockets and looked off in a different direction, an action he'd picked up from Luke. Sirris easily translated it as 'I'm not telling you if you don't tell me.'

It was a rather annoying habit of Luke's that she was quite easily frustrated with.

When Jade did it though… Well, that was a slightly different story.

"I'm heading out to see a few old friends. Engeve, Chesedonia, Baticul, Keterburg, then back here," she told him. Jade's curious look told her his next question before he could ask it. "Not Nephry."

Jade nodded. "I've been working on a new project. Now, I'm not going to tell you what exactly, because then it won't be a surprise, however…" he trailed off. Sirris was caught somewhere between 'Uh-oh' and 'Hmm'.

"I'm not sure if I should be happy that you've got something else to occupy your mind now, or worried that it's supposed to be a surprise," Sirris informed him. Jade chuckled and walked away, and Sirris decided that she would be better off leaving it alone as she, like Jade, departed.

Sirris took off running the moment she was out of Grand Chokmah, not even bothering to talk to a guard she had (somehow) managed to befriend on her way through Theor Forest.

Sirris was panting slightly when she made it to Engeve that night. She was mentally berating herself as she did so for letting herself get out of shape.

"Someone's had some down time."

Sirris looked up and grinned at the redhead in front of her. He was about her height, with bright blue eyes that shone with a kind of wisdom beyond his years.

"Hey, Soren."

* * *

Luke smiled at Noelle as she ran up to him. "Hey, Noelle."

"Hi… Luke, right?" she replied. He nodded, and Noelle giggled. "Yeah, I figured. Asch took the Albiore III, and I haven't seen it since Ginji left with the Dark Wings."

Luke chuckled. "I figured. Hey, any chance you could take me to Yulia City? I'm looking into a few things, and Sirris gave me some time off, so I might as well visit a few friends while I'm at it, right?" he asked. Noelle smiled.

"Of course! Just meet me in the hangar bay once you're ready," she replied before turning and taking off.

"Straight off to Yulia City then?" Mieu asked. Luke shook his head, however.

"No, I want to check in on that cheagle first. I doubt Aston's had a chance to take it back to the Cheagle Woods," he answered. Mieu bounced over to the meeting hall doors happily and the two stepped in.

"Ah, Asch! Wait, no… you're Luke," Aston greeted them. Luke nodded.

"Yup. Did you need Asch for something?" he asked. Aston shrugged.

"He sent a letter about a week ago asking about the Tartarus," he said. "With the Planet Storm getting stronger…" Aston trailed off. Luke nodded worriedly.

"I know. If we don't stop the sudden increase, the Tartarus will break apart and it won't silence the core anymore," he finished. "I've been looking into it myself. Van's sword has been taken from the Absorption Gate too," he added. Then, after thinking for a while, Luke stuck his hands in his pockets and looked over at Mieu, who was talking to the yellow cheagle, before looking back at Aston. "Hey, any chance Asch told you what mess I'd made that he'd have to clean up?" he asked.

Aston shook his head. "Not that I know of," he answered. Luke sighed.

"Oh well. Guess I'll just have to track him down and ask him," he muttered. He looked back at Mieu. "Coming?" he asked as he headed for the door.

"Mieu! Yes sir!" came the enthusiastic but high-pitched response. A few meius later, and the little blue cheagle was bouncing along after Luke.

Noelle was waiting on board the Albiore II, and once Luke was strapped in, she took off. Luke pulled out the letters once they were in the air and pulled Noir's out, wondering if she had expanded on what Asch was doing.

_Dear Luke,_

_Asch is commandeering our help. With what, he hasn't told us yet, but I'll try to send you word once we've figured it out. And what on earth is Sirris doing? I've sent her three letters in the last month and she hasn't responded to a single one of them!_

_Do stay out of trouble, won't you? Asch is cut from a similar cloth as Sirris, and she always started ranting whenever you (or Jade, for that matter) did something stupid. It's not exactly fair when she starts taking it out on us._

_See you later,_

_Noir and the Dark Wings_

Luke smiled slightly.

"Mieu… That's not fair…" Mieu whined. Luke chuckled.

"Don't worry, Mieu. I doubt Asch is going to be _that_ bad," he replied. Then he fished Ellie's letter out. However, as he did so, a blue envelope fell out of his bag. He raised an eyebrow. "Okay. That wasn't there earlier."

Mieu picked it up and handed it to him, and he took it and looked at the front. It was blank. Overcome with curiosity, he opened it, Ellie's letter temporarily forgotten.

Luke skimmed over the letter quickly and quietly. The words 'replica' and 'daughter' jumped out at him, while the names 'Jade' and 'Roran' raised an eyebrow. Before he could reach the end of the letter, Luke was forced to go back to the beginning to actually read it.

_To Whom It May Concern:_

_You are reading this because Emperor Peony trusts you with this knowledge and feels that you need to know._

_First, to Jade- I'm sorry. I should have told you from the very beginning, maybe even before I revealed my pregnancy. I was not who you thought I was, not then, not ever. Risa was sick, close to dying, and Roran was desperate. Dist was looking for another test subject. I was only ever a replica…_

_I shouldn't have expected you to take me in. I didn't deserve that in the least, not when I'm just a replica, just a fake, and especially not after what I did to you. But our child is innocent. If you won't take me in, then at least protect them._

_Second, to Nephry- Thank you for all you've done, and please, if your brother won't, protect the child I carry. I cannot trust my original's brother to care for the baby. You're the sister that I wish I could have, the sibling Risa needed._

_Third, to whomever my child falls in love with- Don't you dare break their heart. This child is all I have, and even though I'll never get to know them, I love them with all of my heart, and I expect you to do the same. This child wasn't created out of love, but I love them all the same, and they will need that love so badly. The world is a cold place, and once I'm gone, it will become even colder. You have to be the warmth to keep my child alive._

_Fourth, to anyone who becomes a true friend to my child- Stand by them, support them, and above all, do not let them fall into the dark abyss of depression. There always has to be a way out, no matter the problem at hand._

_To all of you, I apologize. I cannot care for my child as I wish I could. Even as I write this, my fonons are separating. I will barely be able to birth the child before I am gone. So I must rely on all of you who read this to take care of the child._

_And especially to you, my darling child, whether you are Sirris or Larsa, I am so very sorry that you will never know your mother._

_With all of my love and hope,_

_Risa's Replica_

Luke had to reread the letter repeatedly before it all finally sank in.

"Master, what's wrong?" Mieu asked, jumping up into Luke's lap. The redhead shook his head, still slightly in shock as he carefully folded the letter back up and slipped it into his bag.

"It's nothing, Mieu," he said quietly, lost in his thoughts.

Ellie's letter had been completely forgotten.

* * *

Ysenri stopped as the world started spinning. She heard Ion's voice, but it seemed far away and muffled, as if she were under water. She knew what it meant, so it didn't surprise her in the least when her vision went black temporarily before clearing.

_Vlad needed to talk._

Ysenri sighed as her vision cleared, revealing a path through a forest that, upon first glance, looked identical. However, a second look was all that was necessary to figure out that it was not, as originally believed, the same. Where there was a clump of flowers on one side of the path, there was a large tree, and where the path should have cut sharply left, then right again, in order to avoid a boulder, this path was straight.

And, of course, there was a boy who looked like Ion. Except, this boy's hair was black, not brown, and he looked bored out of his mind. And there was also a man with silver-streaked black hair standing behind her.

"Hello, Ysenri," the man greeted her. She nodded.

"Hello, Vladimir. Can I help you?" she replied. He crossed his arms.

"That depends," he started. Then, after a short explanation, Ysenri sighed.

"I won't be a lot of help there, then. But… Go find Vitawny. I'm sure once she figures it out, she'll be able to help," she said. Vladimir sighed and shrugged.

"Oh well. It was worth a shot trying, right?" he said before turning and walking away. Ysenri turned to see that there was now another boy standing beside the Ion look-alike. His white hair trailed down his back, while crimson eyes seemed to glare at anything they saw.

"So, leaving again right away, huh?" he asked. Ysenri nodded.

"Yup. Sorry, Shiroi. But I've got a treasure hunt to get back to," she replied before reaching into the back of her mind. She could feel Nyra's consciousness, and that was what she was after.

The moment their consciousnesses touched, the world started spinning again, fading to black and then clearing. Once again, a moment of slight (very slight, as they were getting quite used to this) disorientation overtook the two as they separated again.

Ysenri smiled at Ion. "Weren't we going somewhere?" she asked. Ion chuckled and continued down the path, taking the corner around the boulder before taking off at a jog. Ysenri sighed and ran after him, glad that the clothes Nyra wore were more appropriate for this sort of thing than the dress her other was currently stuck in.

The two had just made it out of what Cloud jokingly referred to as Dark Passage due to the number of monsters when Ion stopped and ducked under a tree. Ysenri followed him and looked up, just in time to see a large, dark shape sail through the sky above them.

"There's a Guardian onboard," Ion stated quietly. Ysenri nodded.

"I know, I felt it. Wind, if I'm correct," she replied. Ion took a deep breath.

"Not Leon then," he said. The silver-blonde girl nodded and Ion shook his head. "Come on. Arashi and Ellie are in St. Binah. That's where we're headed."

Ysenri sighed. "Any chance we could stop in Chesedonia, or is that too out of our way?" she asked. Ion raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you're tired already," he joked. Ysenri smiled.

"No. But… I'm just getting this feeling…" she answered. Ion shrugged.

"Why not? It's not like we _have_ to meet up with them. I just thought it'd be nice of us to inform them that we're helping," he told her. The pink-eyed girl giggled and took off at a run through Tataroo Valley, Ion on her heels. As they approached the Sephiroth, however, a group of monsters came at them.

Two short flashes of light shone around Ysenri's arms as curved blades seemingly grew out of them. She dashed forward and made as if to punch the nearest monster, hitting it not with her fist, but with the blade on her arm.

A silver-green disk flew past her, slashing through two monsters before returning to Ion as he stood there casting. Ysenri managed to kill a monster before Ion's Flare Tornado landed on top of another. Ion then ran past her, spinning his chakrams around to attack. As she slashed through and killed the fourth monster, Ion jumped back, tossing both chakrams at the last one as he muttered 'leviathan' under his breath.

The chakrams not only slashed through the monster, but they delivered something similar to Splash to it on their way back, killing it.

Ysenri's weapons disappeared the way they had come, while Ion slipped his chakrams onto his back.

"Well, that was fun," the brunette commented. Ysenri sighed.

"I'd have had more fun if they had actually put up a fight," she admitted. He rolled his eyes.

"Wah, wah. You're whinier than normal today," he grumbled. Ysenri just smiled.

"Just remember, you have to sleep sometime."

Some time later, as the sun, which had been high in the sky, began sinking, the duo reached the edges of the valley. Ion crossed his arms.

"There's no way we'll make it to Chesedonia before dark, and I'd rather not try to travel blind, since the moon won't be out tonight. Let's stay the night here instead of risking it closer to town," he suggested. Ysenri nodded.

"Okay. I've got something I want to do on the other side, anyway," she replied before closing her eyes. When she opened them, they were lavender once more.

"Okay… Now what?" Nyra asked. Ion opened his mouth as he pulled his bag off of his back, but he simply pointed as he dropped it on the ground. Nyra turned and sighed as a small group of annoyingly large bees attacked. She pulled a paintbrush out of her pocket and started to paint seemingly in midair. Once she was happy with the result, she pointed at a monster with her left hand, the one not holding her brush, and a Flame Burst landed on it as the 'painting' disappeared.

Ion had to smile as he tossed one of his chakrams at a monster. Nyra and Ysenri were very good at confusing people who didn't know them when they were on the battlefield. 'You would think,' he had mused to himself once, 'that since Nyra is colder and Ysenri is so gentle, that Nyra would be the one slashing through her opponents while Ysenri stood back to cast. Guess it just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover.'

The two of them finished the monsters quickly, and Nyra slipped the paintbrush back into her pocket. "You know, I'm glad Ysenri finally got around to buying a proper paintbrush for me. It was a pain trying to do that with my finger. Both literally and figuratively," she said. Ion chuckled and sat down next to his bag on the ground.

"I'd say 'I can imagine', except I can't, so I'll just shut up now," he replied. Nyra smirked.

"Oh really now?" she teased. Then she looked around. "Are we going to build a fire?" she wondered. Ion sighed.

"And here I was just getting comfortable…"

* * *

Silver eyes glared at the dark, scar-like mark. A figure crouched in the snow, white hair only a few shades whiter than their abnormally pale skin. White pants and coat did nothing to make this figure any more visible in the snow.

As the wind swept long white hair away, a white mark as pale as the figure's hair was revealed for a moment on their neck, a simple 01.

"You sure picked a place to hide out."

The figure whirled around. Standing in a nook not far away was a tall man. His straw-colored hair was tied into a ponytail, while cobalt eyes stayed locked on the white figure. A brown coat flapped in the wind as he walked over, only to be pulled back as the white figure pulled him away from the dark crevice he had been watching.

"Are you insane? You'll get us both caught!" the figure spoke, voice revealing it to be male. His taller companion sighed.

"Well excuse me if I don't blend into the environment, Snow," he grumbled. Snow crossed his arms.

"You don't need to baby-sit me, Phoebus. I'm not a kid anymore… That, and I'm technically older than you," he replied. Phoebus sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, brushing his hair away from his neck just long enough to reveal a dark brown marking, similar to Snow's, save for that this one was 04, rather than 01.

"You're still acting immature," Phoebus replied. "Besides, I'm only here to tell you to keep an eye out for Nine. He's gone and wandered off again."

Snow sighed. "Okay, okay, message received. Now go away! I'm stalking someone! …Well, sort of," he replied. Phoebus chuckled.

"You never change, do you?" he commented before walking off. Snow slipped back down to where he had been crouched in the snow before and sat there, as if waiting for something to happen.

"-doesn't…anyone but himself," a woman's voice reached him. He glanced over the ridge and smirked. The woman's hair almost blended into the snow, but the light green highlights would have given her away, even if she hadn't been wearing black and dark red.

Her companions, likewise, did a poor job of blending in. One's silvery hair was streaked with blue and his black coat flapped around in the winds, while the other's green hair and black clothes made him stand out like a sore thumb.

"He was a useful ally though. If I'd realized he'd been pulled down there by Van, I'd have gone after him too," the taller of the males said, brushing his light hair out of his face, only for the wind to toss it into place again. They looked down at the boy, who had a thoughtful look on his face.

"I never saw Van or Roran, but if they fell in at the Absorption Gate, that could be why, since I should have been somewhere near where Akzeriuth used to be. There was someone else down there, though…" he told them. The woman crossed her arms.

"Who?"

The green-haired boy shrugged. "She said she didn't have a name. I called her Antira, but…" he trailed off. The woman rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Let's just get going instead of standing around here talking," she grumbled. The two males nodded and followed her away, down the mountain.

Slowly and carefully, Snow stood and headed down to the crevice they had emerged out of. A door was set into the rock near the back, and a smirk slipped across his lips when he found it unlocked. It was a matter of little importance to get inside and start looking around. He figured he didn't have long, but he didn't need long.

The underground base seemed rather normal, but there was one thing that had him confused. In one room, where three beds sat around the walls, a large, circular table stood in the middle. A map was pinned to it, and it was covered in colored pins. After a moment of looking at it, Snow nodded and headed back out.

Once he was a decent way down the mountain, he crossed his arms and slipped into a small alcove to think. His mind, however, could only find one thing to explain the map, and he sighed as he muttered it out loud.

"She's planning to take over the world."

* * *

**Tony: So, yeah. We're still in 'introducing the characters' mode. It'll only last another couple of chapters before we actually get into the plot. Also, there should only be a couple sections that are first-person POV in Bloody Heirloom, due to an event that will happen some time around... Chapter seven? Maybe? (I had to stop and completely rewrite the whole story because I made two major mistakes. Both are now fixed, except I am really far behind now.)**

**Kairi: Anyways... Review responses?**

**Tony: Yup.**

**(huntergorh)-**** Thank you. Bloody Heirloom's starting out kinda slow, but she'll pick up speed fast once we get a little further in.**

**(Leomitch)- Hey! Nice to see you again! Don't worry, you've got two weeks to review, and even if you don't, at least I know you won't abandon me! Anyways, expect to pop up randomly whenever the group is near Grand Chokmah. Also, I think you're at 5 of 10... well, 5 of 9, since you can't kill Bastion. At any rate, it's great to see you guys again and I am going to shut up before I start rambling to you three.**

**Tony: So... Like I said before, see you guys in two weeks, unless I get five reviews before next Monday, and then you get an early update.**


	3. Chapter III, You and Me

**Tony: Apologies for this being late! I seriously hadn' intended for this to happen, but... Oh well. I don't own TotA, but OC's are mine or a friend's. (Geez, when was the last time I did a disclaimer for this story?) Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter III**

**You and Me**

"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" Soren asked as he walked with Sirris. She smiled.

"Yup. He may be an asshole, but at least he's trying to be a dad," she replied. Soren rolled his eyes.

"You know that wasn't what I meant," he grumbled. Sirris sighed and crossed her arms.

"Yeah. It's best if only you guys know," she said. Soren nodded.

"Alright. Just, take care, okay? When you didn't show up a couple months ago, I got worried. I'll bet Chloe, Snow, Aerys, and all those monsters of hers got worried too," he told her. She laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I'm probably going to be buried under monster bodies when I reach Chesedonia," she said. Soren laughed with her as she started off at a jog.

"Don't die!" he called after her teasingly. Sirris just laughed and took off running full speed. Her destination was St. Binah. She hadn't planned on going originally, but Soren had told her that Shuro and Inte wanted to talk to her, and if those two wanted to talk to someone, going to them was the best idea, since they'd send someone after you if you didn't.

It had been late afternoon when she left Engeve, and she ended up stopping in a familiar clearing as the sun set. She looked around, wondering why it seemed so familiar. Then, as she was about to give up, a memory came into her mind.

"_Reaper's Toll!" the little girl cried, killing one of the soldiers. Another one attacked her and she dispatched of him in a similar way. She could tell that the others were impressed that her martial arts skills seemed to be extremely sharp._

_She ran over to where Luke was fighting the last of the soldiers. The Oracle Knight swung his sword, and Luke's went flying._

"_Luke, snap out of it!" Guy yelled as the soldier readied his sword for an attack. Tear cried out Luke's name as she started running towards him, but the girl beat her to it._

"_Reaper's Toll!" she cried, not only killing the soldier but likely saving the redhead's life. "And that's that," she added, brushing her hands off._

"_I must say, your martial arts are impressive for one so young," Jade commented as he walked over. The girl turned and examined him with startlingly violet eyes._

"_Thanks," she finally replied. "I'm Aerys."_

"_I'm Luke," Luke said quietly. "Um… Thanks." 'Aerys' looked at him in confusion._

"_What are you thanking me for? Oh, that Oracle Knight?" she asked. Luke nodded. She shrugged. "Ah, well._

Sirris smiled a bit at the memory. That had been a long time ago, more than half a year. Luke had changed so much since then. He'd been so afraid of killing, only to become an assassin.

"He made that choice on his own," she muttered a bit as the smile faded. She slipped her things into a bush and started walking around, picking up sticks for a fire.

When she made it back to her makeshift camp, she found that she was no longer alone. A man with black hair was happily laid out on his back as he tossed a ball up into the air, catching it as it came down before repeating the process.

Sirris raised an eyebrow. "Hello, Bastion. Shouldn't you be in Grand Chokmah?" she asked. He looked over and smirked. Well, it was probably supposed to be a smile, but…

"I've got a Mark in St. Binah this month. By the way, there's a folder with your name on it in my bag," he replied off-handedly as she built up the fire and lit it. She nodded and stretched.

"Whatever. I'm headed to St. Binah too, so I'll just grab it in the morning. I have seated myself, and I shall remain here until such time as I feel like getting up again. And right now, I have a feeling that won't be until morning," she said before flopping on her side and putting her bag under her head.

She heard Bastion's chuckle as she fell asleep.

* * *

"We'll be at Shurrey Hill in about an hour," Ginji announced. Asch crossed his arms.

"Drop me off in St. Binah first. I want to make sure it's even still accessible before we go," he stated. Ginji nodded.

"Alright. That's just a few minutes away now," he replied. Rue yawned, managing to draw a chuckle from York, who sat behind her and to Asch's right.

"What's the matter, Rue? Bored?" he asked. Rue turned around and grinned at him.

"Nope. I was flying last night," she answered. Asch sent a worried look in Ginji's general direction, and Rue laughed. "Relax, I obviously didn't crash us. And besides, it would've been hours more to get to Shurrey Hill if I hadn't taken over last night."

"She's actually not that bad of a pilot, so long as we don't hit too rough of wind turbulence," Ginji added. "Though I swear, after that first time, she's had nothing but damn good luck avoiding them."

Rue got a playful grin on her face. "Maybe I'm just magical like that," she joked. Asch sighed and ended up chuckling. It was certainly different than listening to Noir. If you'd asked him then, he would have sworn that Noir's mind was on one of three things at all times. Money, men, and him and Sirris over-working them.

York wasn't as bad. He preferred to flee rather than fight, but he did know how to handle a sword and had even given Asch a few tips. Urushi, likewise, was easily distracted by fontech (on most days). Ginji didn't normally join in on their conversations, but Rue…

Once again, Asch was thankful that she was there. She could distract any one of them (himself included, much to his chagrin) for any amount of time, simply by starting up a conversation that had nothing to do with what they had been talking about before. They had stopped in Chesedonia, and she had suitably distracted Noir, who had been getting on Asch's last nerve, by fussing over her clothing and complaining about the sand. Alright, maybe not the least annoying way to do it, but at least it had gotten Noir out of his hair.

A slight jolt informed Asch that they had arrived, and he was mildly surprised to see Rue getting up as well. But, when she headed into a cabin as he made his way out of the Albiore, he smiled.

Then came the interesting part.

"Ah, Luke! Or… Wait, which one are you?" Elder McGovern asked as he walked over. Asch smiled.

"Asch. Actually, I was wondering if you knew what state Shurrey Hill was in," he said. The elderly man nodded.

"I see. Shurrey Hill should be fine. No one's checked, but there's not much there that could cause a problem getting in, see?" he replied. Asch nodded.

"Thanks," he said as he turned to leave.

"Asch, wait!" Elder McGovern called after him. Asch stopped for a moment and looked back. "Someone named Anashuro Calran wants to see you. Here, a boy gave me this. It's supposed to be from him," he explained, handing Asch an envelope. Asch nodded.

"Okay. Thanks again," he replied, walking away. His opened the envelope and glanced inside, raising an eyebrow at the two words written on the only piece of paper in it.

_Soil Tree_

Asch sighed and headed for the center of town. It wasn't as if he had to get to the Sephiroth immediately, although he did have to hurry.

The name Elder McGovern had said was unfamiliar as well. Anashuro? Calran? Neither rang any bells. Though, as he approached the Soil Tree, the answer suddenly snapped into his head.

Because, of course, someone was waiting for him up on the platform. Blue hair darkened to black tips, and almost-venomous green eyes caught Asch's as he climbed up to join him.

"Hey, Asch."

"Hey, Shuro," Asch replied. Shuro uncrossed his arms to hand the redhead a folder. "And this is…?"

"Something Inte dug up. I thought you'd like to look at it, seeing as how part of it supposedly pertains to you, and yet, you didn't lose your vision after having your replica data extracted like this claims you did," he replied. Asch frowned and skimmed through it.

"I'll have to look through this later, when I've got a bit more time," he decided. Shuro nodded.

"I figured you'd want to. Go ahead and take that folder, I've got copies at home," he replied. Asch nodded.

"Alright, thanks," he said, heading back toward the Albiore. He was about halfway there when he ran into the duo.

"Ah… Hello," he started awkwardly. Sirris frowned.

"I thought you were in Baticul. Luke went to visit you a few days ago," she replied. Asch scratched the back of his head.

"Why is it you're the only one that can tell us apart when my hair's like this?" he wondered, absentmindedly playing with the braid that Rue had put in place for him not long after leaving Baticul. Sirris smiled.

"You two act totally different around me. Same with Tear. It's pretty easy to figure out who's who when one of the two of us are in the vicinity," she told him. "What are you doing here, anyway?" she asked.

Asch held up the folder Shuro had given him. "I had to get this, and check up on something. Why?" he replied. Sirris shrugged, then grabbed her companion's arm as he tried to sneak off.

"Just wondering," she said in response. "By the way, you remember Bastion, right?" she added, pulling the black-haired man into the conversation. He rolled his eyes, and Asch chuckled.

"Yeah, I remember. Nice to see you out of Grand Chokmah," he said. Bastion sighed and shrugged.

"Eh, gotta pull my own weight sometime. Which reminds me…" he trailed off. Sirris rolled her eyes.

"Oh for Yulia's sake! I'll get it later! I'm going after the Keterburg ones first. I only stopped here because Shuro's after me," she told him before walking off. Bastion shook his head.

"That girl…" he muttered. Asch chuckled, but really, no other words were needed. They both understood perfectly. "Well, I suppose I'll see you later. I have work to do," Bastion said, walking away with a wave. Asch did the same, heading back to the Albiore. Noir was waiting for him outside St. Binah, though.

"Ginji had to move," she told him. "But we'll be able to go again as soon as we're on board."

Asch nodded and followed her. Once inside the Albiore, though, they parted ways. It wouldn't take more than half an hour to make the run around the mountains to Shurrey Hill, but he wanted to read whatever it was Shuro had given him in peace.

He locked the door to the cabin he had claimed as his and sat down, opening the folder quietly. It was separated into sections about people, so he skipped through them until he found himself. There were four pictures. At first glance, he thought he could identify everyone he saw. A second glance revealed a lot more however.

The first picture was one that made sense. It was him, in his mansion, with his mother. The child him was hiding behind her skirts. It made Asch smile.

The second picture was one he remembered doing, but not having been taken. He and Van were sparring in Oracle Knights Headquarters. Except…

Asch leaned in, and drew back out as he realized what he saw was the truth. The picture him wasn't actually looking at Van, he was looking… well, past him. That, and his eyes were silver rather than green. Asch looked over at the first picture again, but his eyes were green in that one.

In the third picture, it looked as if he was trying to reassure Luke of something. The other redhead looked scared out of his wits, and he looked… confused. Once again, he didn't seem to actually be looking at Luke, but rather, in his direction. Asch could recognize Tear's selenia garden in the background, so he assumed that it was right after Akzeriuth.

The final picture had confused him. On first glance, he had thought it was him talking to Jade, though he could only see the back of the figure's head. Except, it was obvious that this person was smaller than him in the picture, and Jade was taller than he was. Also, Jade didn't wear purple and blue dresses. Whoever he was talking to was definitely female.

She was holding a sketchbook in one hand, and Asch could see most of the picture, probably because she was showing it to the silver-eyed him. His counterpart in the picture looked exasperated.

It was the picture on the sketchbook that had Asch's attention now, though. It was obviously him. Not his silver-eyed doppelganger, but him. Well, it could have been Luke, but since Sirris was in the picture as well, he doubted it. Just, why was she laying on a bed like that? And why was the background colored purple?

The answer came to him as Rue knocked on the door, telling him that they were at Shurrey Hill.

"Miasma," he muttered, putting the folder away and getting up. Rue was smiling on the other side of the door. He sighed as he and Rue headed down the hallway and stepped off the Albiore.

"So, why are we here again?" the black-haired girl asked. Asch crossed his arms, bringing his mind back to the problem at the present time.

"Lorelei's been trapped in the core by Van. He sent me and Luke the two pieces of the Key of Lorelei, but Luke didn't get the damn Jewel, and if the God-Generals get their hands on it…" he trailed off. Rue nodded.

"I'll just say 'doom' and end it at that," she replied. Asch smiled slightly.

"And this is why I prefer you over the Dark Wings," he said. Rue giggled.

"Okay, okay. Enough Noir-bashing. Come on. We've got a passage ring to check, right?" she prompted, heading for the Sephiroth. Asch rolled his eyes and followed her into Shurrey Hill. He wasn't sure what to make of Rue at times like these. Sometimes, she could just be so…

Asch was having difficulty finishing that sentence.

* * *

Luke frowned. "Asch was asking about the Sephiroth?" he asked. Elder McGovern nodded.

"Mm-hmm. He was supposed to pick something up from a… um… Calran, but he left almost as soon as he came," he replied. Luke crossed his arms.

"The name 'Calran' mean something to you?" Guy asked. Luke shot a look over his shoulder.

"Anashuro and Kesinte Calran. The brothers I sent you guys to when St. Binah was falling?" he grumbled. Then he sighed. "You guys head back to the Albiore, I'm going to talk to Shuro, see if he'll tell me anything more. I'll be along shortly," he told them before walking off. He ran into someone he didn't exactly expect before he found Shuro, though.

"Oh, hi Luke! If you're looking for Asch, he's headed for Shurrey Hill."

"Yeah, we're kinda on his trail. What are you doing here?" he asked as Sirris wove her way through the small crowd. She shrugged.

"Shuro wanted to talk, and it's been my experience that if he's looking for you, you go, or you get dragged to him the hard way," she replied. "Oh, and if you can find Bastion, he's got your Marks for this month," she added. Luke sighed.

"I'll get them the next chance I get," he told her. Sirris nodded.

"That's fine. You've got the whole month, and you usually take them all out in a couple of weeks, so I don't think Raven will mind," she said. "Now, if you'll excuse me. Inte wants to talk to me too."

Luke sighed as she walked off, and was unsurprised when Shuro walked out of an alleyway nearby. "You found out," the blue and black-haired teen stated. Luke's expression was all he needed for an answer. "Here." He held out a folder, and Luke frowned, taking it cautiously. "There are two parts to that. One pertains to you, or at least, it's supposed to. The other is…" he trailed off. Luke nodded.

"Thanks, Shuro," he said, turning and walking away. Shuro shrugged and headed home himself.

Luke had just slipped the folder into his bag when he ran into yet another familiar face. "Oh. Hello, Bastion," he greeted the black-haired man. Bastion chuckled.

"Someone's mind is somewhere else," he stated. Then he handed Luke a folder. "Here, you know what to do with it," he added before walking off. Luke sighed and put the folder in with the one he had just gotten from Shuro.

The walk back to the Albiore was a short one, and almost as soon as he was onboard, Noelle took off, heading for Shurrey Hill. Luke wasn't sure of much at that time, but he did know one thing. He needed to talk to Asch.

Once they landed, he, Tear, Anise, and Guy headed into Shurrey Hill. Luke had a bad feeling in his stomach. What it was, he wasn't sure of, but it was there. It only intensified when he caught sight of the two Oracle Knights that were collapsed on the ground. Nearby, Rue lay spread-eagled. Luke ran over and checked her pulse, even as Tear and Guy did the same for the two Oracle Knights.

"Dead," Guy said gravely. Tear nodded.

"This one too," she replied. Anise bit her lip and looked over at Luke in fear.

"Rue?" Tear prompted him. Luke lowered his head and swallowed hard. A moment later, he shook his head.

Anise breathed in slowly and carefully, but it came out as a sob regardless. Guy punched the ground. "Arashi's not going to be happy," he stated.

"He won't have to know."

The four of them turned as the woman walked in. Her heels clacked on the floor, but she wore a hood that disguised her identity. "Why don't you four go help Asch? He'll need it any minute now," she suggested. "Don't worry about Rue. She'll be fine when you come back through, if a little shaken."

Luke frowned and then sighed. "Come on. I've got a really bad feeling about this now," he said, taking off toward the passage ring. Anise was on his heels, followed by Tear. Guy hesitated, however.

"Why do you sound familiar?" he wondered. The woman raised her finger to her lips in a 'shush' motion before lowering her hood. His eyes widened at her appearance. "You… You're the…"

The woman nodded and waved him on, and Guy smiled before running after his friends. He heard her chuckling behind him, but it didn't worry him in the least.

What mattered was that Rue would live.

* * *

_**Are you absolutely sure of that?**_

"No, I'm not anymore, thank you. Now shut up and leave me alone!"

_**Aww… I was enjoying our little conversation.**_

"I wasn't, and I'm still not."

_**Someone's feeling grouchy today.**_

"You're going to get me caught, dammit!"

_**You realize you're the only person that can hear me, right?**_

"I hate you, Tony."

_**Thank you, my dear, I really appreciate being told that by you and my little sister at the exact same time.**_

"Don't call me that. Coming from you, it's just… disturbing."

_**I agree. Then again, I swing the other way.**_

"…I didn't need to know that."

_**Are you sure?**_

"Positive. Now shut up and let me work."

_**Would you like me to get Rue out of the way?**_

"…Please?"

_**And… Done. Rue just started thinking about something that's been bothering her for a while and she will have a nice little epiphany shortly before running off, claiming to need fresh air… I hope… These guys don't always do what I want them to. Especially since it seems I'm not totally in control anymore.**_

"Tony, that's starting to concern me."

_**My dear, you're not the only one.**_

"Tony…"

_**Sorry, force of habit. Ask Winx if you ever get the chance to talk to her.**_

"I'll pass, thanks. Your insanity is bad enough."

_**I'd feel offended if I didn't agree.**_

"At any rate, it seems your plan worked. Whatever you put Rue to thinking about certainly got her out of there."

_**Oh good. Whatever's been interfering didn't… well, interfere.**_

"Do me a huge favor? Shut up."

_**Ugh. Fine.**_

Legretta heaved a sigh of relief. Ever since that chance encounter with Leomitch, she had had to deal with Tony in her head sporadically, and at least once a day. It got old very quickly, especially when your patience was already worn thin by a certain Grand Maestro who hadn't even been around for longer than a day.

Legretta watched as Asch approached the passage ring, and once his back was turned, jumped down and tried to grab the Sword of Lorelei. The redhead jumped back as she trained her guns on him.

"Hand over the Key of Lorelei, Asch."

* * *

**Tony: Now, obviously the fourth section took place about halfway through the third, but I couldn't put it in place without breaking that section up, so I just stuck it onto the end. However... Anyone else find the conversation with Legretta as amusing as I did when I was writing it? And yes, my little sister really did say 'I hate you' about the time that I wrote Legretta saying that (because I told her for the fifth time that week to walk to her friend's house due to the fact that I had to save gas). Anyway, we have another character... semi-introduced... And Guy seems to know her? Interesting... Unfortunately, while her connection to Guy is an interesting story, she's not going to be showing up again for many a chapter after she leaves next update. So, now that I'm done ranting...**

**Leon: About time.**

**Tony: So, to Leomitch- Eh, it'll be a bit yet, but don't worry, you'll be done before the Eldrant battle. (Because I've got something half-planned and you're probably going to fall over yourself laughing when you finally read it.) Also, you shouldn't have to worry about pairings. Hmm, Mystic Arte, huh? I'll see if I can drop that into one of the scenes...**

**Leon: Please drop a review. Now, if you'll excuse us...**

**Tony: Eek... Yeah, I really have to get to work, don't I?**


	4. Chapter IV, The Catalyst

**Tony: So, many, MANY apologies for taking so long! Anyway, new cover, courtesy of Kairi (Twilight PhoenixFyre). Here's Chapter IV. I'll let you guys read it. Everything else is at the bottom... Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter IV – The Catalyst**

It was as the passage ring came into view that Rue started acting as if she were going into shock. Asch turned but she shook her head, running off. "Do what you need to!" she yelled over her shoulder. Asch was half-tempted to ignore her, but he pushed it down and headed over to the Dawn Age device. The sooner he got this done, the faster he could find out what was up with Rue.

Or at least, that was the theory.

He'd drawn the Sword and held it up, only for someone to come rushing at him from a well-hidden alcove above. He jumped back away from them and scowled as Legretta aimed her guns at him.

"Hand over the Key of Lorelei, Asch," she ordered. Asch settled into a defensive position.

"Never!"

"Oh, what a petty argument. Why don't you just give that to me, and we'll all leave quietly?"

Asch looked over his shoulder cautiously, then glanced back at Legretta. She seemed confused, before a flash of panic crossed her face.

"Who are you?" she asked quickly. The black-haired woman threw her head back and laughed.

"Oh, wouldn't he love to know?" she said. Legretta glared, and Asch decided that the black-haired woman was the greater threat at the present time.

"You're the one that's been interfering, aren't you?" Legretta asked, though this time her voice sounded like it was overlaid with a male voice. One of her eyes, the left one, had shifted from a blue-green to a hazel-green. The woman grinned maniacally.

"What, me? Oh no. I'm not the one getting in your way. _She_ is, but she's on the other side. So frustrating, isn't it?" she taunted. Asch was about to demand that one of them explain what was going on when his vision swam, and for a moment, Legretta was gone, and in the black-haired woman's place was a woman with very dark violet hair and violet eyes. Collapsed on the ground behind her was a figure that could only be Luke.

When Legretta and the black-haired woman returned to his vision, he saw them fighting. He scowled and attacked the unfamiliar woman.

"Stay out of this, Asch. She's out of your league," Legretta said, voice still overlaid with a male's. Then a look of concern crossed her face, and for a moment, the hazel faded back out of her left eyes. "But then, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to handle this either," she said, the male overlay gone.

Asch rolled his eyes and ignored her. "Either you've got something going on there that I don't know about, or you've gone insane," he commented as they attacked the woman. She evaded most of their attacks, blocking with a knife those that she didn't.

Legretta rolled her eyes, the left back to the hazel-green. "A little bit of both, dear… Fuck, I really need to break that habit," she said, though the second half of the comment, Asch could barely hear her voice, the male voice almost completely taking over.

"Need help?" Luke asked as he jumped in, dual blades flashing. The woman screeched as they slashed through one of her arms, jumping away as quickly as she could.

"Damnit!" she cursed. Legretta smirked.

"That's been my line for the last few days or so. You're welcome," she said, though again, Asch could hear more of the male's voice than Legretta's. The woman smirked at her and laughed, a bone-chilling sound that had everyone in the vicinity on edge, even though Tear, Anise, and Guy had just arrived.

"Oh don't worry, Tony. You'll be using it a lot more if she has her way. You'll see," the woman taunted. Shadows pooled around her feet, sucking her in until she was gone, and Legretta's stance shifted slightly, into something that Asch realized was a bit more familiar.

Legretta put her guns away and shook her head. "Ugh… okay, we're not doing that again for a while, okay?" she muttered out loud. The five people nearby all heard the disembodied chuckle, though it sounded tired.

_**Don't worry. I've got to start grilling Kairi. None of Tea's or Daniel's guys could have that much darkness, so it's gotta be one of hers… or Rabecah's, I guess…**_

"Tony, you're going to confuse everyone…" Legretta warned. Another chuckle rang out.

_**Shutting up, dear.**_

"Tony…"

_**Force of habit, de…Sorry.**_

Legretta groaned. "You damn well better not do what you did for Leomitch, because I'm killing you if you ever drop your ass in here," she grumbled. Laughter was the only response.

"Uh, Major?" Tear asked cautiously. Luke had already warned them that the God-Generals were alive.

"Do not start talking to the voices in your head, Tear. They will lead you down a path you will find you really didn't want to go down," she told the young woman.

_**Especially if they're absolutely bored.**_

"And here I thought you were leaving," a new voice commented.

Guy and Anise turned to see Rue and the cloaked woman walk over. The disembodied voice groaned.

_**Hello, oh mysterious Traveler.**_

The woman smiled almost softly. "Leave her in peace, Tony."

There was no response. Guy kept looking between Legretta and the woman.

"Is this Tony guy anything like you?" he asked her. She laughed.

"Oh no. Tony is much worse, and he's not even as bad as they get. Daniel isn't too awful, but the girls?" she replied. Then she looked over at Rue. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked. Rue nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks… um…" she replied.

"I'm simply known as the Traveler," the woman told her. Rue sighed.

"I know. I've met your brother… or… would that have been your cousin?" she said. The Traveler shrugged.

"Which one?" she asked.

"The Soldier," Rue said simply. The Traveler smiled.

"Little brother, then. The Assassin is my older brother, the Child and the Hermit our cousins, and the Priestess and Observer our friends," she said. Rue shrugged, then raised an eyebrow.

"Tony doesn't understand 'leave me alone', does he?" she asked. Legretta gave her a look that answered that question and the next she would have asked all in one, while the Traveler sighed.

"Alas, it is time I took my leave," she said. And as she walked out, Rue skipped over to where Asch was gazing after Legretta, who had also decided that now was a wonderful time to depart.

"You okay?" she asked. Asch nodded, while Luke crossed his arms.

"Hey, what the heck were you talking about when you said you were cleaning up after my mess?" he asked. Asch glared at him.

"Lorelei's message?" he prompted.

Luke looked confused for a moment before an understanding look slipped into its place. "Oh… Heh, I guess I did a pretty poor job of making sure you knew I'd gotten it, huh?" he said. Asch rolled his eyes.

"I dropped just about every hint I could about the Jewel. Don't tell me you understood Lorelei's message and then didn't get it," he said. Luke held out his hand.

A pink glow formed around it momentarily before it formed into a spherical gem. "I got it alright. I just didn't want the God-Generals to know I have it," he replied. Asch took a deep breath.

"Figures. I'd dropped enough hints that I thought you hadn't figured it out," he grumbled. Luke smirked.

"Nope. Only thing I didn't figure out was your hints," he replied. Asch glared, before Rue sighed and stepped between them.

"Okay, you two. No fighting," she said. "We've got bigger problems."

"Such as?" Anise prompted. Rue pointed, and everyone turned to see a certain smirking silver-haired teen. Behind Arashi, Ellie's expression was a good deal more serious.

"Miasma, maybe?" Arashi said, his smirk fading. He looked directly at Luke, who sighed.

"Then Toni's theory is correct?" he asked. Arashi sighed.

"I'm not sure, but I know it'll hit soon. How soon, I can't say either. Damnit, this is…" he trailed off, his eyes becoming cloudy.

"Ari?" Ellie prompted. Arashi shook his head lightly. "Who?"

"Frings…" he whispered. "Damnit, they're too far away. That had to have been northern Chesedonia… maybe an hour ago… Why… why do the short-terms have to be so much easier to figure out a time period…?"

"Let's head back to St. Binah first. If nothing else, we can talk to Shuro, see if he can find out more regarding Toni's theory, seeing as how that's pretty much the best we have to go off of right now," Luke suggested. Arashi nodded.

"Yeah… probably a good idea," he agreed. All eight of them left Shurrey Hill, before Luke gave Asch a look.

"Keep the God-Generals off my tail, okay? I've got to figure something out if we want Sirris to survive longer than Van," he said, making use of their connection for the first time in a month. Asch frowned.

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked. Luke sighed.

"I'll let her tell you that, or Emperor Peony if he decides you need to know… But… Damnit," he trailed off, cutting the connection. "Go ahead and go with the Dark Wings, wherever you were headed. I'm gonna try to catch up with Sirris," he added. Asch glared at his replica, but not before Luke ran off, joining Tear, Guy, and Anise on the Albiore II.

Arashi and Ellie, he noted, were sticking with Rue, who of course was leading them to the Albiore III.

"If you two want to go with them, I suggest going now," he grumbled as he walked past them. Rue rolled her eyes and followed him up the ramp.

Asch found that he wasn't surprised when Arashi and Ellie joined him and Rue in the cockpit.

* * *

Sirris scowled and ran a hand through her hair. She _hated_ Chesedonia. There was too much sand. Way too much sand. But, she booked herself a room before heading into a back alley. She raised an eyebrow at the man who started waving when he saw her, ignoring him (and the sand pit next to him) as she walked past.

Sirris slipped into a door after looking around, closing it behind her and smiling at the sight that greeted her. Two ligers, three cheagles, and five wolves (all of them originally native to Keterburg, Sirris noted) were curled up, asleep, around one small human girl. Sirris knelt and gently prodded the blonde child awake.

Drowsy violet eyes slowly opened and looked up at her in confusion for a moment before recognition crossed her features. "Oh… Sirris…" she said in a quiet voice. Then she shook her head and shot something reminiscent of a glare at one of the ligers, who was half laying on the girl's legs. "Ishi, move!" she grumbled. The liger growled lightly. The blonde girl shoved its head, causing it to wake before repeating her command.

The liger yawned and stood, stretching before moving to the side and flopping back down to go back to sleep, this time using one of the cheagles as a pillow. Sirris giggled, while the violet-eyed girl just sighed. "One of these days Usagi's gonna get sick of him doing that," she mumbled, standing up and moving over to the small, low to the ground table. "So, what's up?"

Sirris sat across from her and pulled her knees to her chest. "I need you to come back into the open," she started. The girl's eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

Sirris closed her eyes for a moment. "You remember what I told you about my ability and the cost it comes at?" she asked. The girl nodded. "Well… I'm gonna go back and explain a bit… Jade's trying to make up for what he did, and I'm living with him now. Then there's this woman named Nigai, and she's an enemy. And you remember what I told you about Sync?"

"Yeah. But that still doesn't answer the question."

"I'm getting there," Sirris grumbled. "See, Sync was captured by Nigai. I've got maybe a month and a half to get a hold of him. But, if Jade finds out…"

"He's still tracking you?"

"Not as accurately as he used to. Keeping track of how long I'm in each town or city, and whatnot, but that's still more than enough to give him a general idea of what I'm doing," she explained. The girl mimicked her pose, wrapping her arms around her knees and frowning.

"But _why_? Why come to me instead of going to Chloe or one of the others?" she asked. Sirris sighed.

"Because you're the disguise I've been favoring lately. Jade's only seen Chloe twice; the first time I didn't need to use her name, and the second time I was using the alias 'Siri' so that he wouldn't screw up and call me Sirris," she said. The blonde girl sighed.

"So basically, you need me to lay down a false trail," she guessed. Sirris nodded.

"Yeah. Not everyone on Auldrant knows that I've been pardoned for all of the people Roran had me kill, so it won't seem too strange that I'm running around in disguise again," she replied. The girl bit her lip and looked at the odd pile of monsters.

"But, what about…"

"I'm heading into Tataroo Valley tomorrow morning, once I've finished up with my monthly quota. I can take them with me," Sirris said. The girl chuckled.

"Should I call the drakes in here?" she asked. Sirris smiled.

"To help us keep in contact? Alright. That ought to work," she agreed. The girl nodded.

"Yeah, I'll send Tobu and Shorai with you. Oh, and Kiiro, the yellow cheagle over there, is staying with me. She's just a little baby…" she added. Sirris nodded.

"That's fine. I'd say keep all three cheagles with you, but that would get suspicious," she said. The girl nodded.

"Yeah. So, um… How am I gonna be getting around? On foot, as usual?"

Sirris smiled wryly. "Yeah, sorry," she replied. The girl giggled.

"It's fine," she said. Then she pointed at the liger whom she hadn't had to move earlier. "Chikyu'll carry you once I've explained the situation to her. Ishi's not as stubborn as she is, but I'd rather you ride Chikyu in case you have someone with you or something, so then you don't have to double up."

Sirris smiled. "Alright. You'll have to help me memorize the wolves' names too, you know, and the drakes when they show up. I remember Ichigo is the pink cheagle and Usagi is the blue, and you said Kiiro was the yellow. The lighter colored liger is Ishi, the darker is Chikyu. And I'm fairly certain the completely white wolf, the one with blue-green eyes, is Yuki. Past that, I don't know," she said. The girl smiled.

"Don't worry, you'll have them memorized soon enough, Siri," she replied. Sirris giggled.

"Thanks, Aerys."

* * *

The girl hummed an upbeat tune as she danced around the otherwise quiet garden. A few fountains were the only other sources of noise, save for the steady but gentle breeze that wove through the trees. Her honey brown hair glinted gold whenever the sun hit it, and her golden eyes sparkled.

Standing in the shadows, staying out of sight, was a man dressed primarily in a very dark gray that nearly passed for black. Brown gloves, brown boots, and a red cape added a slight bit of color to his outfit, while his hair was braided loosely.

The girl he was watching escalated from humming to singing the tune as she continued to dance. She still sang no words.

"Rather innocent at times, isn't she?"

The man turned to look to his right. "Hello, Silver. It's been a while since I've seen you," he commented quietly. The teen nodded, his silver eyes, the source of his name, seemingly staring off into the distance, despite the girl who danced not fifty feet away.

"The princesses are getting a little… rowdy," Silver stated. His companion sighed.

"Ashelia's been underground for how long now? And Stella isn't used to staying in one place for long. It doesn't surprise me," he replied.

As the girl's song seemingly came to a close, she opened her eyes and looked around, then smiled when her eyes alighted on the two males. "Daddy? You didn't tell me you were coming home," she said, her light voice somehow sounding more mature than her appearance and attitude conveyed. She brushed her hair back over her shoulder, only for it to fall into place again as she walked over. "Good to see you again too, Silver," she added. Silver crossed his arms.

"Thanks for dropping me on the back burner, Tawny," he muttered. The girl giggled and punched his shoulder lightly.

"Hey, you visit pretty often. Daddy doesn't," she said. Her father chuckled.

"Daddy is still a wanted criminal, dear. Your mother is still threatening to turn me in every time I show up," he told her. She smiled up at him anyway.

"You know I don't care," she replied. Her father hugged her with a smile.

"Yes, my dear Vitawny, I know."

* * *

**Tony: So... This last section was actually written by Daniel (who recently got his own FanFiction account instead of sharing with Tea on Hielo y Sombra). And Silver is a character from his TotA AU (kinda like Ellie and Valon are in this one). Really, the only purpose for this last section was to halfway introduce Vitawny, Silver, and Vitawny's father. Also, this is the last chapter where I break the fourth wall until... well, much later on.  
**

**Leon: Wow. So, what's next?**

**Tony: Um... The next update is the nineteenth... 'The main group goes to Baticul while Sirris heads for Tataroo Valley'. And then guess what hits? No, really. Guess.**

**Leon: Anyway, all OC's belong to Tony, Kairi, Tea, or Daniel.**

**Tony: Yeah... And I need to go type, so... See ya later! (Please leave a review.)**


	5. Chapter V, New Divide

**Tony: -sighs and looks pointedly at Shadow- Someone did not read my Author's Notes... I said, right after the page break that separated the story from said A/N (and I quote, minust the stuff in parentheses): "This last section was actually written by Daniel. And Silver is a character from his TotA AU." Translation: Wrong Silver. And about Legretta, I'm sorry. When I handed the characters over to Daniel so that he could write that section, he let her go. When I got them back, I was not pleased... She will remain contained from here on.**

**Leon: Ahem, on another note... Tony only owns HIS OC's, since a number of these belong to his friends. So...**

**Tony: Enjoy the chapter! (It's been so long since I've written this that I don't really remember what happens... Yeah, I definitely need to get writing.)**

* * *

**Chapter V – New Divide**

Luke sighed as the five of them stepped onto the streets of Baticul. They were mostly silent as they headed up to the top level. As they were climbing the stairs to the courtyard outside the castle, however, the silence was broken.

"Natalia's not going to be happy," Guy stated. Luke sighed.

"I know. I'm not happy, and technically, I'm not even Kimlascan anymore," he replied. Anise looked at him in confusion.

"Huh? Why not?" she asked. The redhead sighed.

"Sirris registered me in the Malkuthian Assassins' Guild. Until my registration expires and I have to renew it, I'm a Malkuth citizen," he told her.

"Yes, that's part of the reason we were able to get Sirris out of prison, remember?"

The group turned around to see Natalia and a small group of soldiers behind them. She waved a hand and the group dispersed. "Although, you will be renewing your registration under the Kimlascan Guild, won't you?" she asked. Luke shrugged.

"That depends. Emperor Peony and Astor have been talking about trying to combine the four under a single Guild Master again. If they can talk Uncle and Ion into it as well, and the four of them in turn can convince the Guild Masters, I may or may not have to pick between Kimlasca and Malkuth," he replied. Natalia crossed her arms.

"Really? Father and I haven't heard anything of it yet. Of course, considering Sirris, and Jade's connection with the emperor…" she trailed off. Then she frowned. "Which reminds me…" Stalking over to Jade, she grabbed the collar of his coat. "What on earth happened in Chesedonia? Everyone kept staring at me like I was the devil! It was downright insulting! No one in Kimlasca ordered that attack!"

Jade adjusted his glasses. "We were actually coming here to confirm that that was the case. In any event, Shuro's information is probably correct," he told her. Natalia released him.

"Oh? You've spoken to Shuro recently?" she asked. Jade nodded.

"Yes, but perhaps we'd best explain this to his Majesty as well," he suggested. Natalia nodded.

"I'll get you a private audience with Father. Come on," she said, leading them into the castle. A short while later, the six of them and the king stood in Ingobert's private study.

"Replicas, you say?" Ingobert asked. Luke nodded.

"It sounds like Mohs is trying to restart his war," he replied. Ingobert looked grave.

"Then we'll have to do something about it," he stated. Natalia looked over at him.

"There are also people still clamoring for the Score. We need to decide what to do about it," she added. Then, frowning, she continued, "Perhaps it would be best to call a summit on the Score. We can bring up the matter of Mohs while we're at it."

Ingobert nodded. "Yes, we should do that," he agreed. He turned to the group that was scattered around the far end of the table. "Jade, do you believe Emperor Peony will agree?" he asked. Jade nodded.

"I do," he said.

"Father, allow me to accompany them to speak to Ion and the Emperor. If nothing else, we may be able to figure out why Mohs is still so insistent on following the Score," she said. Ingobert looked directly opposed to the idea.

"You've done a wonderful job as an ambassador, Natalia, but you should stay here for now," he argued. Natalia put her hands behind her back and drew out a face Luke didn't know she could pull off.

"But Father! I can't just sit here and do nothing while there are people out there trying to start a war," she cried, the innocent look on her face ringing a faint bell in Luke's mind. But where…?

Ingobert sighed. "Very well. But Luke," he said. The redhead looked up at him.

"Yes, sir?"

"Take care of her," he ordered. Luke nodded.

"Of course, Uncle," he replied. Natalia smiled.

"That settles it then!" she said happily. Then she looked like she remembered something. "Oh, we should probably stop by the manor on our way out though."

Luke tilted his head to the side curiously. "Why?" he wondered. Natalia shrugged.

"I don't know. Susanne just asked me to come," she replied.

Luke sighed. "Alright. Back to the manor we go," he agreed. They filed out the door, heading down the stairs quietly. They had almost made it out of the castle when Luke stopped. "What are you doing here?"

Valon looked up. "Huh?" he asked unintelligently. "Oh!" Luke face-palmed. "Eh, Raven sent me to Ryndor. Apparently Peony and Astor are trying to combine the Guilds again. I got sent on messenger duty," he explained. Luke nodded.

"I was wondering how long it'd be before word got around to everyone," he said. Valon shrugged.

"Been to Daath already, had to deal with Angel the Asshole before Zale finally knocked him upside the head. Ryndor and Rhunön are strange as always. Zero and Corylle gave me a letter to take back to Raven… Oh, and Toni suggested I bring you this. It's for next month, since Bastion made her put them together, she's sending them out early," he said, rattling off names that no one in the group knew before holding out a manila envelope.

Jade frowned. "You are not doing that and then coming back to the inn without cleaning up first," he stated. Luke rolled his eyes.

"No fuck," he grumbled. Valon chuckled.

"You know where Sirris is? I've got hers too," he asked. Luke shook his head.

"No, but we'll see her eventually. Here," he stated, holding out a hand. Valon handed over another envelope, and Luke slipped both of them into his bag.

"Yay. One less thing for me to worry about. Now then, off to deal with Raven, Toni, and Bastion again. See ya!" he called over his shoulder as he left. Guy crossed his arms.

"Um…"

"Ryndor is the Guild Master of the Kimlascan branch, while Rhunön sits on Uncle's council. Sebastian, or Bastion, as most of the guild calls him, does the same on Peony's council, while Raven is Guild Master. Daath and Chesedonia are run by a set of identical twins and a guy and his replica. Azalea, or Zale as she prefers to be called, and Corylle are the Guild Masters, Angel's a Maestro in the Oracle Knights, and Zero's part of the group that runs the Chesedonian Merchants' Guild," Luke explained.

"Then, who's Toni?" Anise wondered. Luke sighed.

"Allitonia is Bastion's little sister and his apprentice," he told her. "And she absolutely hates to be called by her full name."

Natalia's look was one of pity. "I would too… Tear's full name is longer than that in letters, but shorter in syllables. Which is sad," she said. Tear nodded.

"Why would Azalea prefer to be called Zale though?" she wondered. Luke shrugged.

"Like I'd know. I know who the people are, that doesn't mean I know everything about them," he grumbled. "Now, weren't we going to the manor? Eh, correction. You guys go the manor, I'm heading into town to get something. Wait for me there, I'll be back shortly," he added. Natalia crossed her arms, but didn't stop him as he ran off.

After weaving through the crowds, Luke found his way into a murky alley, and he wasn't surprised to find that it lead to a run-down area that had probably been a park once. Little light made it down here, and Luke could see small clumps of homeless people here and there.

These were the people that didn't want Natalia's help, who were too prideful to care about getting jobs to support their families. They stayed down here, out of sight, so that they wouldn't be forced out of what they considered to be home.

A group of children, mostly young teens, ran past him, but one of them stopped.

"Sirris? No, you're a guy… Soren?" the girl asked. Her golden-brown eyes were half-hidden behind messy, dark brown bangs.

Luke smiled. "No, but Sirris is my mentor," he replied. The girl looked wary. "I take it you're Chloe?" he continued. She nodded.

"Yeah. Can I do something for you?" she asked. Luke smirked and waved her off to the side. She followed cautiously.

"I hear from Sirris that you have some fast hands. Would you mind putting them to work for me?" he inquired quietly. Chloe looked thoughtful.

"Who, and what? Then I'll answer that question," she told him. Luke handed her a piece of paper with two drawings on it. One was a person, the other was an item. Chloe looked over them. "What's in it for me?" she asked, looking up at him.

Luke just patted his pocket lightly, and Chloe smirked when she heard the faint clink of coins. "If you learned anything from Sirris, you'll know how much. Which is good," Chloe stated. "Alright. Where can I find him, and who am I delivering to once I'm done?"

"He'll be in Daath. Anyway, you know where the Curtiss manor is in Grand Chokmah?" he asked. "West side, there's a strong vine you can use to climb up. Second floor, window on the left, hide it under the bed. Then check the closet. Top shelf on the far right, there's a blue pouch."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "You really trust me not to just take the money?" she asked. Luke nodded.

"Yup. Because the next ferry for Grand Chokmah doesn't leave for another two weeks. But, there's one to Daath tomorrow, and another to Grand Chokmah from there only two days after that one arrives," he replied. She giggled.

"Okay. You got it, um…" she trailed off.

"Luke," he told her. She nodded.

"Got it, Luke. It'll be there next time you drop in," she promised. "I'll just make sure I'm ready to go."

And with that, she ran off, and Luke headed back up to the manor.

When he arrived, Susanne was handing Natalia a bow that seemed to be glowing with light. Tear sang the second fonic hymn and it stopped glowing, causing Luke to raise an eyebrow.

"Okay. What's that, and why was it glowing?" he asked. Jade slipped his hands into his pockets.

"We're collecting the catalysts for the Planetary Fonic Arte. Why, I have yet to figure out, but this is the third we've found. Well, Asch found it and left it here. At any rate, we now have three," he explained. Luke raised an eyebrow, then decided that it would be better not to ask.

"Alright, I've got what I need to get done finished. We ready to go again?" he said. Natalia nodded. They were on their way out when Guy stopped. Luke looked over his shoulder and smiled slightly when he saw Pere.

"Pere, are you staring at that old sword again?" Anise asked. Guy sighed.

"Anise, it's my father's sword," he told her. Anise looked apologetic, while Jade looked curious.

"Interesting. I'd thought that the Jewel of House Gardios had gone with Hod," he commented. Pere shook his head.

"No. Duke Fabre took it and put it up here," he replied. "I should be getting back to work. Take care now, all of you."

Luke watched him walk off before looking back at Guy. "You had to live all that time with that kind of a reminder hanging practically right over your head?" he asked. Guy sighed.

"Yeah, but it failed to bother me after a while," he replied. "And while I'm still not totally happy about it hanging in the home of the man who killed my parents, I'm not sure I have any right to it either."

Luke shook his head. "Maybe not yet, but you will someday," he told him.

"I love how we keep getting sidetracked," Anise commented to Jade. The colonel adjusted his glasses.

"Yes, first Valon at the castle, now Pere here…" he agreed. Luke and Guy exchanged a look before rolling their eyes.

"Alright, come on. Next stop, Daath," Luke grumbled. Tear tilted her head to the side curiously.

"Why Daath?" she asked.

"Because that's where Ion is. Natalia's going to suggest that summit on the Score, remember?" Luke replied. Jade nodded.

"Right. Let's get going then," he agreed.

* * *

Sirris slipped into the Sephiroth quietly, pulling the blonde wig off as she did so. Certainly, her hair was blonde now, but not nearly long enough, and definitely not the right shade. Hence, the reason why she and Aerys had ended up looking like twins for the last few days.

None of Aerys' monsters questioned her as she made her way down to the passage ring, but they didn't follow her far. Her nose wrinkled as she approached the fonstone in the middle.

"Damn. We won't have long before that breaks loose. It's already so strong… Ugh, not to mention way too concentrated," she muttered, looking down at what appeared to be a writing mass of violet-brown. Then she stood, only to stumble a bit. "Shit… I've got to get out of here," she added, turning and running back to the monsters, slipping up onto one of the ligers without a word.

Chikyu understood well enough, as she started running, the rest of the monsters on her heels. Sirris held on, pushing back against her body as the miasma, which seemed to be quickly and quietly spreading, tried to force her under.

They had just made it out of the Sephiroth when Sirris collapsed.

The monsters gathered around her as she slipped off of Chikyu's back and watched her in concern when she didn't get back her. Her skin, already pale, seemed unhealthily so now, and her breathing was slow and shallow.

They were so concentrated on the comatose girl that they didn't see the group of four walking up to them. One of the two males paused.

"What on earth is this?"

"Oh no… Sirris!" Asch yelled, pushing past Arashi and then one of the ligers to reach her. Rue and Ellie exchanged a look before they and Arashi joined Asch. Ellie knelt and checked Sirris's pulse, then looked up at the other two who were paying attention.

Rue crossed her arms and looked over at the opening to the Sephiroth nearby. "Did she just come out of here?" she asked one of the ligers, pointing to the doorway. The monster nodded, and Rue sighed. "I'll be back in a moment," she told them, walking off. She didn't even have to reach the passage ring before she stopped though, seeing the bubble of miasma that was coming up below it. She cringed and ran back out.

"Okay, that look tells me that either something bad is about to happen, or something bad is happening," Ellie commented. Arashi opened his mouth, then stumbled.

"Dammit, why do I always have to be so far away?" he muttered after a moment. "Not that it would matter at this point."

Rue crossed her arms. "What was it? Miasma?" she asked. Arashi shook his head, then hesitated and shrugged.

"Kinda. Miasma, and then something to do with Mohs that involved Anise," he replied. "But… Wait, you mean the miasma is coming out of the Sephiroth?" he asked. Rue nodded.

"It's really, really concentrated around the passage ring, because it's forcing the dividing line up, like a bubble. It'll probably thin out once it's broken through," she said.

Asch frowned. "That means Sirris won't wake up for a while… Dammit, Luke will collapse too!" he cried, suddenly realizing the fact. Arashi crossed his arms.

"Let's take her back to Hikarikage. She'll be safe there, we've re-built the shields designed to keep Nigai and Skye out. We can figure out where to go from there," he decided. Asch nodded and lifted Sirris, while one of the ligers growled. Without even trying to explain, the monsters ran off down the valley, back toward Chesedonia.

"Uh… Should we really be letting them go?" Ellie wondered. Rue smiled.

"They're used to humans. They're probably going back home," she replied. "Come on. I'm pretty sure we were headed to Hika…whatever."

Arashi laughed, though even to Asch, it sounded forced. "Hikarikage," he said simply before freezing, any cheerfulness draining from his expression. "Shit… Luke's not going to hold on for too long after the miasma hits," he muttered. Rue hugged her arms.

"Let's just hope we can find a way to actually get rid of the miasma this time," she said. Asch nodded, but Ellie had the feeling he wasn't really paying attention. No, he was more worried about the girl in his arms right now.


End file.
